Beauty and the Beast
by marsbarr
Summary: 'Tale as old as time, Tune as old as song, Bittersweet and strange, Finding you can change, Learning you were wrong.'  The time has finally come for Rick and Kate. Will there be complications? Sequel to 'Just Friends, Good Friends'
1. Chapter 1

**Previously:**  
><em>"Will you please, think of yourself wearing that very comfortable dress, watching the sunset and do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Castle? After all, a dream is a wish your heart makes."<em>

_By this time, Kate couldn't control her tears. And so couldn't Lanie, Martha, Alexis and Kate was pretty sure she could hear Esposito's silent sobs._

_Rick pulled out the most gorgeous ring that he'd been playing with in his pocket. The actual sight of the ring triggered more tears to flow down her face._

_She first nodded, then finally found her voice, "Yes, yes. A thousand times yes."_

_He slipped the ring into her finger and lifted her off her feet. The two shared a long, passionate kiss. Their joy, their relief, their love blurred out the sounds of everyone in the precinct, clapping and whistling.  
><em>

* * *

><p>It was the first morning after Rick had proposed. Kate laid there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the rock that was on her finger. Everything had felt like a dream. A dream come true.<p>

She breathed in, accepting this was reality. She knew Rick was up and making breakfast, as she could smell the cooking of bacon, pancakes, omelettes and more bacon.

She made her way out, wearing one of Castle's t-shirts and short shorts.

"Good morning, love." He dropped the spatula and quickly shuffled to her side and gave her a morning kiss.

She breathed in the smell of the practically gourmet breakfast. "Mmmm, smells so good,"

Rick smiled at her compliment, "So what are the plans today?"

"I was hoping you'd know,"

"Well, Alexis has a 'study' date with Ashley later on. So, I guess it's just the two of us,"

"Aw,"

"Why, detective. Your lack of wanting of my presence is hurtful,"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "You're a big boy. You can handle the pain,"

She got on her tiptoes and lightly planted another kiss on his lips.

"Mmmm, now I remember what we were supposed to do,"

"And what is that?"

She sighed, not too excited about their afternoon, "We have to meet up with the wedding planner."

"Ah! Yes, the wedding planner. Now, how come you don't look so thrilled?"

"No, I am. I'm just…I don't know what I want for this wedding. I want it to be special but.."

"Not anything too big?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," He chuckled,

"I know, I know. You don't want a lot of eyes watching your every move. But, it _is_ your wedding. _Your_ night. Or day. Depends on which you prefer."

She smiled, "Whichever _you _prefer. So, how about you go over there and feed me some breakfast?"

* * *

><p>Kate ran her hand through her hair. She was seconds away from slapping duct tape onto the wedding planner's mouth.<p>

She just keeps on going on and on and on and on.

"Uh, Dana, could you excuse us for a moment?" Rick placed his hand on Kate's knee to bring her back from her thoughts.

The couple left their living room and made their way to Rick's bedroom.

"You've been so quiet,"

"Maybe if she stops talking for a while then I might just get a word in,"

Rick could sense the stress, placed his hands on her shoulders, "Look, if you don't want a wedding planner, just tell me. _I_could plan our wedding,"

"See, now that could be dangerous," Kate didn't want to laugh so instead she replaced it with a smile.

"Oh, so you're afraid that I'd succeed? I bet, I could plan a whole wedding way better than that chatterbox out there."

"You know what, let's see."

"Your lack of confidence in me, wounds me."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "I just wanna get married. Doesn't have to be anything extravagant."

"If that's the case, your wedding is in the wrong hands," he wagged his eyebrows, revealing a grin.

"_Our _wedding."

* * *

><p><strong><em>This is just a short intro to the story.<em>**

_**Here's a fun fact, wanna know why I ended Just Friends, Good Friends with chapter 23 (I'm such a perfectionist, I'd usually end with an even number chapter or.. 25, 35 or something like that.) Well, my friends have been planning my 'future wedding' at school and they said that it's going to be on July 23. So, I found it a little funny that**_** that_ was the chapter Rick proposed. Haha._**

**So anyways, here's the sequel that a lot have requested! I actually have a pretty good plan for this one. Tell me what you think? Thoughts? Improvements?**

Oh and P.S. You'll find out why the title is what it is, later on. ;D


	2. Chapter 2

"Kate?" he yelled out to her from his office,

"Yeah?" putting away dishes, she replied.

"Come in here please,"

"Alright, hold on."

As she made her way to his office, she was greeted with an eager smile.

"What's with the face, babe?"

"Well, I was just typing up my plan and just finished,"

Kate started to walk towards his chair until he stretched out his leg and arm, "No! Wait, you can't look. I just wanted to know if you wanted to get your dress with Alexis or if you wanted to arrange some sort of fitting with,"

"That would be nice. She'd like to help me right?"

"Of course! Alright, now that I have that out of the way.." He quickly typed a few more sentences, clicked save and shut his laptop closed.

"So, you're all done? With planning, I mean."

"Yup! Now, all that I need to do is..make it happen!"

Kate laughed at her fiancee's childlike excitement. She walked over to sit on his lap, kissed him, and just sat there.

"Just you wait, Kate. The time will come," he whispered to her ear before kissing her temple.

"I sure hope so,"

* * *

><p>The next morning was the day for dress hunting. Alexis might have been a little too excited as she was up a little too early.<p>

The sun's shining light finally made it's way through the bedroom curtains, slowly waking Kate up. She looked to the man beside her, fast asleep.

She kissed his cheek, making sure she wouldn't wake him. She didn't want to leave him, but it was the smell of coffee brewing that pulled her out of bed.

"Good Morning, sweetie," She kissed the top of Alexis' head, on her way to the coffee maker, "You're up early."

"Well, I thought that if you were up, we could get a head start."

Chuckling at the teen's enthusiasm, "Alexis, we don't have to go at 6 in the morning. The dresses will be there anytime."

"Yes, but the perfect one won't be."  
>Understanding what she was trying to say, Kate took another sip of her coffee and set it down.<p>

"Alright, let me just get ready and then we can go. It's a half an hour drive, so I guess it'll be open by the time we get there."

"Yes!"

* * *

><p>She made sure she opened the door as slowly and as quiet as ever. She knew it was too early for Rick to be up.<p>

She was just going to get a pair of yoga pants on, a comfy tee shirt and put a little make up on.

By the time she was done, she decided to leave a little note on her pillow for him.

She folded the little paper and placed it on her pillow. Then, she left a peck on his cheek and made her way out the door.

* * *

><p>"So, your father is sending us to this place that's more than an hour away. Why couldn't we just go to David's Bridal or something?"<p>

"Well, this place has got really good ones. And, since I know where your wedding takes places, the dress has to be..suitable."

"Suitable? Wait, you know _where_? Alexis, where is the wedding?"

"Oh, Kate.. you know I can't tell you," she smiled.

"But, it's _my_ wedding, too. C'mon, your father is in charge of everything, the least you can do is just tell me the location?"

"Well, it's somewhere sunny."

"Yeah, didn't know that," she made sure she got her sarcasm across.

"Kate, I really don't want to spoil anything for you, and plus, we're here. Time to try some wedding dresses!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the loft, a very groggy Richard Castle finally turned to his side to realize the little paper on his soon-to-be wife's pillow.<p>

_Off to get your favorite dress. May take some time. Meanwhile, entertain yourself, plan our wedding, play guitar hero. Just..don't hurt yourself. There's coffee waiting outside made by your wonderful daughter. Call you later, love.  
>x, K.<em>

He couldn't help but smile at the thought of getting his favorite dress. She didn't know that he was going to have a lot of favorite dresses. But, she should just focus on the white, 'flowy' one for now.

He stood up, only wearing boxers to grab himself a cup of coffee. Today was going to be filled with a lot of dialing and writing. Looks like, Richard Castle's gotta turn on the charm.

* * *

><p>"How about this one?" Alexis held up a dress for Kate to examine.<p>

"Hmm..I'm not really liking the lace on that,"

"Okay, got it. No lace?"

"Nah,"

"Alright, how about this one?"

"Too short,"

"Well, a short dress would be cute, especially for- whoops. Can't say."

"Ugh, just tell me already!"

Alexis quickly zipped her lips with her fingers, "Nu uh."

"Okay, well..keep looking. I'm going to go over to the other side,"

"Alrighty, although Dad would _reeeeeally_ love a short dress on you,"

"I'm sure he would!"

* * *

><p>"Hi, this is Richard Castle calling for the plane tickets I've booked earlier yesterday? Yes, just wanted to confirm them. Mhm.. And a private jet for ten people? Thank you!"<p>

He wrote down the date, time and things to bring for the flight. He booked first class tickets for some of their friends and a private jet for their closer friends and family. They were all going to travel two days before the wedding itself. Rick Castle was getting excited.  
>"<em>I just can't wait!"<em>He exclaimed to himself.

He got up to call about his suit and to call about their honeymoon. Everything else was already ready. All he needed was his bride to find a dress.

* * *

><p>"Kate? You can't spend the rest of your life in there, y'know. You gotta come out and show me," Alexis called out to her.<p>

"Alright, alright.."

Kate slowly opened the door and came out wearing a tight, floral wedding dress.

"What do you think?"

"I think the flowers are a little.."

"Too much? Yeah, I thought so. Can't really move either. Okay, on to the next dress." Alexis could feel Kate's jumpiness.

"Kate? Breathe. We've got all day, we'll find one."

She sighed, the girl was right. "I know, it's just that...this was like the tenth dress,"

"We'll find it. In fact, let me go get another one, just..stay here,"

"Yeah, this dress is a little too tight I don't think I can go anywhere."

Alexis went down and up two aisles till she saw one specific dress, hanging at the end. A white, chiffon strapless dress. A smile grew on her face, picturing her soon-to-be step-mom in it. She quickly grabbed it, and made her way back to the fitting rooms.

"Alright, I think this is the one.." Alexis' voice sure convince Kate, but she had to see for herself.

Putting on the dress, she felt comfortable. The dress wasn't too much, but wasn't too simple either. It was perfect. Perfect for Kate Beckett. -Future, Kate Castle.

She came out, twirling, "I think this is it, too."

Seeing the smile on Kate's face surely put one on Kate's face too, as well as the store manager and clerk. "Your dad is going to"

"drool."

"Yeah, that _and _he's going to love it. I hope so,"

"He will. As long as you're wearing it, he'll love it."

* * *

><p><strong><em>I hope this chapter was good. I kept taking breaks since I'm watching over my niece. I keep leaving the desk and then coming back trying to think of what thought I left off. Anyways, I did some searching for the dress. It's perfect for where the wedding will be.. I even pictured myself wearing it for my wedding.. haha.. Want to see it?<em>**

http:/ i53. tinypic. com / 2wp189c. jpg

- copy that into the address bar, without the spaces.

**_Leave some reviews! They really, really motivate me. _**


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are you?" He texted his fiancee. Rick was done planning their whole marriage. He settled for some time to write, played guitar hero and watched YouTube videos.

He was bored and his two favorite people weren't home yet.

A minute passed and his phone buzzed, "On our way up, babe."

He smiled at his phone. He'd never get tired of Katherine Beckett. Anything about her would make him smile. Just by her calling him 'babe' would just make his day.

He heard the door unlock and some giggling behind it. "Hey, dad!" Alexis quickly ran to her father and kissed his cheek.

"Hey, pumpkin. Had fun?"

"Tons." She smiled and made her way up to her room.

"Alexis! Chinese or Italian for dinner?" He asked her before she reached the top of the stairs. "Chinese, please."

As soon as he got his answer, he looked for Kate. For some reason, she had slipped from his view the moment Alexis had ran to him.

"Kate?" he called out for her, noticing the bedroom door open and walked to it.

As he was about to push it, Kate had appeared. "Hey, lover-boy." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Mm..You wanna change that?" He was able to get out, in between kisses.

"Mkay, lover-_man_."

"Muuuch better," They broke apart to breathe and he kissed her forehead. "So, found the perfect dress?"

"Nah, thought I'd just wear jeans and a white shirt."

The moment her sentence finished, his eyes had widened and his face was frozen. Taking in his look, Kate guffawed. "Oh, Castle..you easy mark."

She playfully kissed his lips once again, "Of course I found the perfect dress."

The whole time, Rick hadn't noticed he was holding his breath. As soon as he exhaled, he tightened his grasp at her waist and stepped closer.

In a low, husky voice, "Please, don't ever..do that to me again."

She chuckled at his behavior.

* * *

><p>After dinner, the trio had settled to watch Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. Apparently, the new and last movie was coming out soon and Alexis had wanted to watch one movie of the series each night. Kate didn't argue, in fact she was excited. Rick wasn't really involved with the whole magical world thing. He just didn't understand much.<p>

He needed to start reading the books if he was going to have to deal with all the Harry Potter talk for the next couple of weeks.

"So, wait.. This 'Voldemort'.."

"Shhh!" Both Alexis and Kate had cut him off, "Don't say that."

"Alright, 'you-know-who'.. He was on the other side of that guy's head..the whole time?"

"Yes, dad."

"What the?.. How is that.."

"What a muggle." Kate whispered to the teen next to her.

"Mhm," she giggled.

* * *

><p>The next day was their last day in New York. Lanie called Kate for a girl's night out. It had been a while since the two had gone out for drinks.<p>

"Hey, girl." Lanie stood up from their table, greeting her best friend with a martini in hand.

"Got here early, eh?" Kate asked as she eyed the drink.

"Y'know me."

"How are you, Lanie?" As they sat down, they quickly flowed into their typical conversation -talk about Castle, Esposito, Movies, Castle, Esposito. The only new topic, was the wedding.

"Are you excited?"

"Excited? Of course!"

"But?" Lanie had sensed that there was a but coming. Kate sighed,

"But, I'm also..a little nervous."

"Pfft. Girl, you have nothing to be nervous about! You'll look wonderful, we'd be somewhere AMAZING, and-"

"Wait, you _know _where we're going?"

"Uh, no?"

"Lanie Parish."

"Alright, alright. I know."

"How?"

"Well, duh. Castle told me."

"He told you, but not me? Oh, that man is _so _getting it tonight."

"If 'it' means something sexual then I'm not saying a peep."

Kate glared at her, "Seriously. He'd let his daughter know. And my best friend but not his wife?...to be."

"Well, the boys know, too." Kate's jaw slightly dropped. "That didn't help, did it? I've had too much to drink. Let's move on."

"Nope, no moving on. You're going to tell me, Lanie."

"But I can't!" She sounded like a whining six year old. Yep, she definitely had too much to drink.

"Lanie... I've never heard of a woman not know where she is going to get married especially if her wedding is two days away."

"Well, it's not my fault you left Castle in charge! And besides, it was either Hawaii or Central Park."

"W-what?" Kate was mixed with anger, confusion and shock.

"Oh no," Lanie realized what she had said. "Look at the time! I've got to get home and... Pack! Yeah, pack."

Kate raised her eyebrow in a judgmental look. Lanie could do better with a cover up, but since she had been drinking, she'd let this slide.

* * *

><p>"Hey, hunny! Have a good time?" Rick kissed his fiancee as soon as she walked into their bedroom. He had been packing up his stuff.<p>

"Uh..yeah."

"Anything wrong?" Rick sensed the confusion in her voice.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong. I should get packing, right?"

"Yes, I think so."

She smiled at him, "Alright, tell me where we're going first."

"Kate, just pack for sunny weather."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Why are you still continuing this? What's the point of hiding it from me?"

"Because I want you to be surprised!"

She stood there with her hands on her hips, noticing her tenseness, Rick quickly gave her a hug. "Please, can I have this chance to just..take your breath away?"

_Again with the words_, she thought. After sighing, she finally let go. "Alright. If it makes you happy, then fine."

"Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, what a short chapter..and I've left you guys hanging for weeks. I'm so so very sorry. Things have been really really busy for me. I had to fly back and forth from Minnesota to Michigan for some personal issues and once I was back my older sister from Texas came and of course..for those who are following me on Tumblr know that I've been having some issues emotionally so yes, it was kind of difficult to type up a chapter for you guys. I'm really, truly sorry. I lost the want to write for a while but I thought that I can't just leave these stories unfinished. I promise I'll have another chapter up by the end of the week and another chapter of 'Let Go'.**

**I'm so sorry, once again. **


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